Results and figures / tables
Figures and tables are among the most important parts of a manuscript. Readers will usually first look at a manuscript’s title, abstract and results. You should carefully examine the figures and tables to check they accurately describe the results. If you think it necessary, you can suggest any changes that would make the results easier to understand.
- For figures, check that the plotted parameters are clearly defined. Figures and tables should include measures of uncertainty, such as standard error or confidence intervals, as well as the sample size.
- Table headings and figure legends should be detailed enough that readers can understand the data without reading the main text.
- Look for places where data are unnecessarily repeated in figures, tables or main text. The text should point out key findings or trends, not repeat data presented elsewhere.
- Tables and figures take up precious space in journals, so those that present a very small amount of data can often be combined with another or deleted and replaced with an explanation in the manuscript text.
- If a result is not central to the study’s aims, it is often acceptable to summarize it but not present the data. However, failing to show important data, or too many instances of “data not shown,” may indicate that the authors are hiding weak evidence.
- Interesting data that are not needed to support the study’s major conclusions might be better presented as supplementary material online rather than in the published paper; feel free to point out such data in your comments.
- Watch for places where the authors have included interpretations in the Results section. This section should simply state what the results were, not what they might mean. Interpretations and inferences belong in the Discussion section. (However, for journals that combine the Results and Discussion sections, results and interpretations do not need to be separated.)
More information about the Results section of a manuscript can be found in the Author Academy.
TIP!
See the Springer Author Academy for what makes a high-quality table or figure.
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